I'm an award-winning journalist with a particular interest in for-profit social enterprise, as well as entrepreneurship and small business in general. I've covered those areas for many many places, including The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Crain's New York Business, Inc. and Business Insider. As an entrepreneurial journalist--ie, a freelancer--I work from my home office in Pelham, NY.

About two years ago, after making a pot of money in an IPO, Alejandro Foung decided to launch a social enterprise combining his passion for psychology and programming.His startup, a web site called ThriveOn, was one of the winners of the accelerator pitch contest recently held in Austin at South by Southwest (SXSW).

Basically, ThriveOn, which Foung cofounded with CTO Nicholas Letourneau, a former colleague, helps people with problems related to such areas as body image or anxiety follow a customized program with which they can learn to address—and hopefully overcome—their particular issues.

“Our mission is to de-stigmatize mental health through using technology andprovide people with access to help in an affordable way,” he says. One in four U.S. adults have a diagnosed disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Foung and Letourneau were working for TruliaTrulia, the real estate website, when it went public in 2012. Though Foung won’t say how much he made, it was enough for him to try his hand at social entrepreneurship. “I thought, if I have a moment when I can afford to take a risk, this might be the only one I have,” he says. “It was enough to let me take this one bet.”

(Painting by Gonzalo Morales. Oil on Canvas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Foung had studied psychology as an undergraduate at Stanford University,and seven years after graduating, he was stillfascinated by issues related to mental health.“I wanted to take the skills I had gained over the past 10 years and apply them to an area of critical needthat I‘m passionate about,” he says.

Their research led them to some academics at Stanford and Washington University in St. Louis studying the intersection of technology and mental healthcare. At a meeting, they pitched their concept—a system to streamline the onerous paperwork therapists have to fill out.

Much to their surprise, the researchers turned around and presented their own concept—a web site that could use technology to provide mental healthcare to the masses, drawing on extensive research they’d already conducted developing and studying a platform targeting college students and body image issues.“We were convinced,” he says. He and his cofounder decided to revamp their business plan.

They applied for and received a $4 million federal grant to develop a new platform and test it out at 30 universities. Here’s how it worked:People would answer a short battery of questions (“On a scale of 1 to 5, how important is your weight to you?” and “Have you missed any main meals over the last two weeks?”, for example). Then,the system would identify people at low, medium and high risk.Those in the latter category would be referred to a professional for counseling. For people exhibiting relevant behavior but no full-fledged eating disorder, the system would create a personalized program with various exercises, such as learning ways to calm down through breathing techniques, with a licensed mental health professional providing feedback every week .

“They end up with atoolbox of exercises in their phone to draw on,” says Foung.

In June, they’re opening the platform to the public with an expanded scope of problems, including stress management and anxiety reduction, drawing on other research. There will be twoversions: The less expensive option, at around $35 a month, will be more of a self-guided program through which people receive some feedback from a therapist. With the pricier version, around $85 a month, you get feedback every week and the ability to ask as many questions as you want at any time. Programs last for one to three months, with the option to enlist in a maintenance effort after that.

Foung emphasizes that the goal isn’t to be a replacement for treatment but, rather, a way for people to reduce, say, feelings of anxiety on their own. And anyone who uses the platform should also consult a primary care physician or therapist. “This is an adjunct to therapy,” he says.

At SXSW, thestartup won $4,000, which Foung and his cofounder plan to donate to the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The company, which has raised an undisclosed amount of money from angel investors, has some income already: The State of Missouri bought the platform to use at all public universities in the state. So, the cofounders are on their way.

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